Pinewood bringing jobs to green belt

We are recruiting for a Breakfast Team Leader for our staff restaurant at Pinewood Studios. Regular shift will be 5.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Pay rate is £7.00per hour.

Duties:

Canteen setup and readying the Canteen for breakfast at 6.30am
Till operation & cash control
Staff check in and allocation of duties
Ensure all food and beverages are being served to a high standard
Overseeing the Canteen operation

Own transport necessary. Site website - www.couturepinewood.com

Importance of green belt : pinewood

Ever since the 1930s, the policy of ‘green belt’ – rural, green land that has been designated as protected from outside development – has been preventing urban sprawl from encroaching into the countryside and protecting the environment. But just as bringing in planning and development legislation to protect green belt land was a long and controversial process back then, so too has the ongoing battle between developers and environmentalists over these green belt areas.

Where Is The Green Belt?
Despite the headline stories of green belt land being rescinded by the hectare every day, there is still more green belt land in the UK that you might realise. Latest estimates suggest that 13% of land in England is part of one of 14 green belt areas, including the Metropolitan green belt around London, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Tyne and Wear. Scotland has seven green belts and Wales has one green belt, between Cardiff and Newport. Northern Ireland has a massive 30 separate areas of green belt land.

How Is Green Belt Land Protected?
There are specific planning and development policies in place to protect green belt land, keeping it for sustainable and green uses and making it difficult for the land to be used counterproductively. If a developer wishes to build or use a piece of green belt land, they need to prove to the local authority that the development has special circumstances where the advantages of building it outweigh the continued protection of the land.

Why Is Green Belt Land Under Threat?
In a word: space. As the UK population continues to rise, the demand for land and housing increases too. Green belt land, as yet undeveloped and often surrounding built-up and in demand areas, is prime development fodder. Developers and house builders argue that some green belt areas are historical legacies rather than areas of special interest or rural, environmental value and should be given up for more practical use. Following the government’s ambitious plans to build three million new homes by 2020, in order to solve the country’s housing shortage, it has been suggested that two million of those homes would need to be built on green belt land.

Green Belt Land: The Supporters
Many environmentalists support the continued protection of the green belt. According to the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), over 1,100 hectares of green belt have been lost every year since 1997, and over 45,000 homes have been built on green belt land – the size of the City of Bath – since 1997.

According to Paul Miner, a senior planning campaigner for CPRE:

”I am sure that Ministers genuinely want to safeguard our green belt for future generations. But in reality the green belt is being seriously eroded. Too much development has already been permitted, and some Government Inspectors appear to be interpreting green belt policy in their own way. This is making a mockery of the permanence which green belts are supposed to have.”

The Future Of The Green Belt
So far, the planning and development restrictions of the green belt remain in tact, and the government has not called for analysis or any great rethink of the green belt, despite calls from developers and others. But the land and environment still remains under threat, and a weakening housing market means extra pressure from house builders is expected. That means that the countryside, wildlife and plant life that thrive freely in these areas are constantly at risk.

However the level of support for protecting the green belt is ever strong, demonstrated by the sheer number of protests that take place at a local level in order to protect it – recent protests in Surrey and Oxfordshire very much keep the environmental ethos of green belt land alive and collective pressure from members of the public has successfully blocked plans to encroach upon it.

Even visitors are confused by Pinewood

By Peter Biskind

It’s nine in the morning, and I am in a cab threading its way through a tangle of narrow country lanes toward Pinewood Studios, in Iver Heath, about 20 miles west of London, where I am to see Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, or, as it is more popularly known, “Heath Ledger’s last movie.” As everyone who hasn’t been hiding under a rock is well aware, Ledger died in January 2008, after accidentally taking a toxic combination of prescription drugs, while Doctor Parnassus was still in production. After a mad scramble to pick up the pieces, the film was finished with a little help from his friends Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.

Built in 1935 on the grounds of a historic country home, Heatherden Hall, Pinewood is a storied production facility that has hosted a sparkling array of pictures, from early Alfred Hitchcock and David Lean to the James Bond series, not to mention recent blockbusters such as The Da Vinci Code (2006), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), and The Dark Knight (2008). But I’ve never had the pleasure and am eager to see the studio.

As the hedgerows bounce past, I glimpse solitary cows grazing in absurdly green meadows, and look in vain for the kind of garish movie billboards that herald arrival at a Hollywood lot. There are none, not even a signpost, and just as I begin to suspect that I’m being taken for a different kind of ride than I anticipated, we heave to at the front gate, a modern affair of steel girders and glass that replaced an old, Tudor-style gatehouse when the studio changed hands, in 2001.

Behind the gate lies the back lot, looking like any other back lot, save for the magnificent Victorian gardens that surround it.

Villagers vow to fight Project Pinewood

Villagers vow to fight Project Pinewood
Posted by Jack Abell on Jul 8, 09 11:17 AM in Gerrards Cross News

HUNDREDS of people flocked to a public meeting this week to make their feelings known about the controversial Project Pinewood development.

At a meeting held in Iver Heath Village Hall on Monday night, nearly 400 people went along to discuss the best ways to oppose the plans.

Attendance at the meeting was so high that a sound system had to be set up outside because the hall was filled to capacity.

At the beginning of June, Pinewood Studios submitted a planning application to South Bucks District Council (SBDC), which, if accepted, would see a large number of permanent film sets resembling areas such as Paris, New York and Amsterdam being built on Green Belt in Iver Heath.

As well as this, there are separate applications to change the road system in the area at the Five Points roundabout and in Seven Hills Road, to allow for the increase in traffic the development would bring.

Julian Wilson, chairman of Iver Parish Council, told the crowd: "This application would double the population of Iver Heath, and effectively add 2,000 extra cars every day. Even with the proposed changes to the road systems, the village and the surrounding area quite simply could not handle this.

"This development would add 3,315 people to the area, but there is no answer to where children are going to go to school. The Chalfonts Community College is full, as is Burnham Grammar and Burnham Upper. Where are they going to go?"
The crowd was urged not to be silent about their feelings towards the plan, and to make their feelings known as much as possible.

Mr Wilson added: "I would expect that this plan will be turned down by SBDC, but there will then be an appeal which will go to the Secretary of State, but as to what will happen then I couldn't say.

"We need to fight this every step of the way. You should start by writing to the district and county councils, to MP Dominic Grieve and to the papers, and even if and when SBDC turn down the application, we should still not stop, because Pinewood will keep trying. The only way to have an effect is to make our opposition clear."

Pinewood Green Belt Destruction

Mr Wilson added: "I would expect that this plan will be turned down by SBDC, but there will then be an appeal which will go to the Secretary of State, but as to what will happen then I couldn't say.

http://gerrardscross.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/2009/07/villagers-vow-to-fight-project.html

Pinewood Green Belt Destruction

Mr Wilson added: "I would expect that this plan will be turned down by SBDC, but there will then be an appeal which will go to the Secretary of State, but as to what will happen then I couldn't say.

http://gerrardscross.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/2009/07/villagers-vow-to-fight-project.html

Green belt destruction. Pinewwod

Green belt destruction. Pinewwod sets it's sights on destroying British green belt by creating housing company.

Green belt destruction

Pinewood destruction of greenbelt upsets locals

If land is boring, go live elsewhere

Jul 16 2009 Buckinghamshire Advertiser

I AM writing in response to A Geer's letter 'Why worry about rural character?' regarding the development at Pinewood Studios (Advertiser, July 9).

The fact that Greater London's population is increasing is exactly why the Green Belt should be protected and incentives given to people to move away from being just congested in the London area.

The majority of people who choose to live in the South Buckinghamshire area do so because it is rural and not like Slough and Uxbridge, otherwise perhaps they would have moved to a town in the first place. As for widening the country roads like Alderbourne Lane, I can assure you residents would not welcome it.

Perhaps AGeer should consider whether he/she is living in the right area for their lifestyle, as obviously describing the area as 'boring farmland' is not only offensive but suggests that he/she does not deserve to live in such a beautiful environment.

People like A Geer have just proved the point that the Pinewood Project is nothing more than just an undercover housing project. The number of jobs it will create is very low compared with the number of

people living there. Most of these jobs will go to people not living in the South Bucks area; and it will takes jobs away from other areas of the country, as the film industry concentrates on this area and reduces the need for staff, with economies of scale and cost savings. The project will increase pollution, increase traffic (estimated at 4,000 extra car movements per day), double the size of a small community, destroy wildlife areas and ruin the landscape.

It is estimated it will affect other rural areas up to 15 miles away. If we wanted to live in Paris, Amsterdam, New York or Venice, we would move there.

Who benefits the most? - Pinewood shareholders and investors. Perhaps A Geer is one.

Fulmer Village Day (24th June)

TV entrepreneur Peter Jones is set to open this year's Fulmer Day.
The Dragon's Den star will kick off the fun at 2pm on Saturday, and entertainment this uear will include music, arts and crafts and activity stalls.
The main road going through the village is set to close for the day, with drivers advised to use the B416 through Stoke Poges instead.

Fulmer Day

More anger over Pinewood plans

More anger over Pinewood plans



PINEWOOD Studios' plans for a huge expansion to their site have continued to provoke anger among members of the nearby community.
Iver parish council have hit out at the plans, which would see a large number of permanent film sets resembling places like New York, Paris and San Francisco being built on Green Belt land in Iver Heath.

This would increase the number of people living in Iver Heath by about 3,300, almost doubling the current population of 3,500.
The parish council and residents are concerned that the size of the development is on far too large a scale for the village to cope with.
Julian Wilson, chairman of the parish council, said: "I cannot see how the infrastructure of this village will be sufficient. There are already problems with traffic at the moment, which will be massively increased if this goes ahead.
"The whole thing is fundamentally flawed. We are talking about five storey French style buildings being built, among other things, which would totally and completely change the style of the village.
"The houses in roads like Pinewood Green and Ashford Road, which are right next to this development will be hugely affected."
A planning application for the building work has been submitted to South Bucks District Council (SBDC), with a decision expected later this year.
Mr Wilson added: "I cannot see how this can be allowed. The very fact that it is on Green Belt land should be enough for the application to be turned d

Villagers continue to rail against green belt studios

"There are already problems with traffic at the moment, which will be massively increased if this goes ahead.

"The whole thing is fundamentally flawed. We are talking about five-storey French style buildings being built, among other things, which would totally and completely change the style of the village. The houses in roads like Pinewood Green and Ashford Road, which are right next to this development, will be hugely affected."

A planning application for the building work has been submitted to South Bucks District Council (SBDC), with a decision expected later this year.

Mr Wilson added: "I cannot see how this can be allowed. The very fact that it is on green belt land should be enough for the application to be turned down."
belt-studios-82398-23911797/">Villagers continue to rail against green belt studios

U.K. town takes on movie studio

U.K. town takes on movie studio

U.K. town takes on movie studio
The Black Horse Pub in Fulmer, England

Britain's Pinewood Studios has designs on doubling its size. But local residents say the expansion will spoil the countryside, and the plan isn't quite what it seems. Stephen Beard reports.

The Black Horse Pub in the village of Fulmer, England, is a meeting place for opponents to the Pinewood Studios expansion. (Stephen Beard/Marketplace)

More on Entertainment

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* Pinewood Studio's Group Director Andrew Smith

Pinewood Studio's Group Director Andrew Smith
* Kay Keane, manager of the Black Horse Pub

Kay Keane, manager of the Black Horse Pub
* Ronnie Lamb, chairman of the local parish council, pets one of his donkeys. He opposes the Pinewood Studios project.

Ronnie Lamb, chairman of the local parish council, pets one of his donkeys. He opposes the Pinewood Studios project.

TEXT OF STORY

Kai Ryssdal: You've heard of Hollywood, of course. And Bollywood, probably too -- India's movie industry based in Mumbai. But what about Pinewood? It too is part of the film business. It's a studio about 20 miles outside London. It's been kind of a mini-Hollywood since the 1930s, turning out movies like "Day of the Jackal" and "Phantom of the Opera." Now Pinewood's got plans to expand out into the surrounding countryside. But the neighbors claim that like everything else in movie-making this plan is not quite what it seems. Marketplace's Stephen Beard reports.

STEPHEN BEARD: Sprawling across 100 acres of rural southern England, Pinewood is already big. All the Bond movies were made here, along with scores of American blockbusters: "Dark Knight," "Wolfman," and the "Bourne Ultimatum."

But Pinewood's Group Director Andrew Smith says he and his colleagues want to expand. They've bought another 100 acres of nearby countryside, and they're planning what he calls a visionary project.

ANDREW SMITH: What we are looking to do is to build a living and working community for the creative industries. And this will be the first of its kind, we think, in the world actually.

The plan at a cost of $300 million: to build up to 1,400 homes for movie-workers, cameramen and carpenters, and set designers and the like. These homes will then double as a film set. They'll be arranged in a series of permanent, street scenes available as a backdrop for moviemaking.

SMITH: We're building 16 street scapes, which will replicate your typical street in Paris, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Venice. There are street scenes from New York, Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco.

He says the project will save money and the environment. There'll be less need to fly film crews to different locations around the world. That will cut Pinewood's carbon emissions. But the plan is not going down well with the locals.

In The Black Horse Pub in the neighboring village of Fulmer, there's almost total opposition. Pub manager Kay Keane says, the landscape around the studio is designated as Green Belt. That means it's legally protected with strict curbs on building and development.

KAY KEANE: Green Belt is Green Belt. You cannot build on Green Belt. And it should never be allowed.

She says Pinewood is in the business of creating illusions, and this project is just another one. She believes it's a sham, a way to get round the Green Belt planning restrictions and make a mint out of the real estate.

KEANE: They're trying to pull the wool over our eyes by making it into Little Venice and Rome, having that as a concept.

BEARD: You think this is just a residential development project?

KEANE: That's all it is.

RONNIE LAMB: Arthur! Arthur's coming. Come on Fred!

Ronnie Lamb calling his two pet donkeys. Ronnie is chairman of the local Parish Council. He says no one could possibly object to Pinewood building its street scenes. The problem is then populating them permanently with up to 4,000 real people.

LAMB: The major concerns from the locals, who actually like Pinewood, is that we're going to have a huge development where the local roads are simply totally unable to cope with that level of traffic.

Back at Pinewood, the studio is quietly confident that it will eventually assuage local concerns and persuade the authorities to approve the plan. Movie-making, after all, is a lucrative, and highly popular industry.

BOND MOVIE: Good to see you Mr. Bond!

But Pinewood, scene of so many staged confrontations, must know that it now has a real fight on its hands.

At Pinewood Studios, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.

Property for Rent in Fulmer

Property for rent in Fulmer. Frostweb are so bad they keep listing it as the wrong address.
Property in Fulmer

South Bucks District Council have three Applications in respect of the Pinewood Development:

1. Pinewood Outline Planning Application (09/00706/OUT)
2. Five Points Roundabout (09/00707/FUL)
3. Junction at Seven Hills Rd/Denham Rd (09/00708/FUL)

However, they have requested further drawings in respect of item 1 and these are not expected for several days yet. Consequently the Applications will not be ready to view on their website till then. You can, however, write in now if you want to state your objections to the Planning Applications at this point.

Do we really think that 1500 homes will be used by families that work on set and that Pinewood will be held responsible for the consequence of the development (traffic accidents, congestion, loss of green belt). Going to be interesting to see the SBDC / Pinewood relationship goes.

Objections to Pinewood Studios

Pinewood have now sent their Planning Application to SBDC. It is a terrible project in its current state and you can write to SBDC to object to the Application. The details of their Application, which you will need to quote, are not available yet - but coming soon we believe.

There are clearly several grounds that I would object on : Green Belt, road and traffic problems, schooling. In my letter to the SBDC I wil be stating what the reasons for your objections are.

Please could you link to this blog if your support this. We are always told that the number of letters received from the public is very important and does have an impact on any decision.

Pinewood Studios submits application for £200m expansion

Pinewood Studios submits application for £200m expansion

6:34pm Monday 1st June 2009

comment Comments (4) Have your say »
By simon farr »


PINEWOOD Studios says it has submitted a planning application to South Bucks District Council to build a series of unique live-in film sets on Green Belt land.

The world-famous studio near Gerrards Cross is submitting its final planning application for a 100-acre, £200m expansion dubbed 'Project Pinewood', which would see 1400 homes incorporated into new film sets including a mock-up Venice canal and a Parisian square.

The development would create up to 1000 jobs and include a new primary school, medical facility, health suites and a 'significant improvement' in transport links as the studio, home to the James Bond franchise, looks to break the Hollywood monopoly.

But South Bucks District Cllr Bill Lidgate believes the 'creative industries clutter' would create massive traffic problems and claims the studio is “simply dressing up houses as film sets to by-pass Green Belt planning laws.”

He said: “I am yet to see the final planning application but I have seen the original proposals and spoken to the studio since and I am opposed to building homes on Green Belt land.

“They are going to build homes in New York and Paris looking-streets and call them film sets but we have no need for 1400 homes on Green Belt land.

“I don't really think it has anything to do with the films, I just think they're trying to fill their pockets by building houses and for that to happen, the whole area would require a major transportation reconstruction which won't happen.”

Mr Lidgate also said that he didn't believe the area needed a new primary school but it does need a new secondary school as Chalfont College is 'bursting at the seams”.

If the application is successful, the studio hopes to have the development, which was first announced in 2007, in place “within 10 years”.

SDJones, Hazlemere says...
10:16pm Mon 1 Jun 09
no to building on green belt for ANY reason, when will this land stealing stop, we wont have a green and pleasant land for much longer
no to building on green belt for ANY reason, when will this land stealing stop, we wont have a green and pleasant land for much longer
Report this post »

Voyeur, HW says...
11:24pm Mon 1 Jun 09
Surely there can be trade offs between green belt and brown field land?

In any case WDC has recently proposed that green belt land in the Gomm Valley and at Terriers Farm be given over to housing!!!

Rather than have a blanket ban on developments in the green belt I suggest sympathetic and careful trade offs could still achieve the desired results.

Surely there can be trade offs between green belt and brown field land? In any case WDC has recently proposed that green belt land in the Gomm Valley and at Terriers Farm be given over to housing!!! Rather than have a blanket ban on developments in the green belt I suggest sympathetic and careful trade offs could still achieve the desired results.
Report this post »

Hit me, HARD! says...
11:42pm Mon 1 Jun 09
Whilst I agree, I cant think of any brown field sites even close to big enough to accomodate them. Even if the new development were done seperately (Which would mean its not Pinewood).

Would rather make an exception in this case as opposed to risboro gypsies that move in build and dont worry about permissions....
Whilst I agree, I cant think of any brown field sites even close to big enough to accomodate them. Even if the new development were done seperately (Which would mean its not Pinewood). Would rather make an exception in this case as opposed to risboro gypsies that move in build and dont worry about permissions....
Report this post »

Steve Totteridge Hill, says...
8:52am Tue 2 Jun 09
Smacks of more back handers and secret deals to me.

Outsider's View of the Pinewood Development

http://www.mi6.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=7623&t=mi6&s=news

Pinewood gunning for Hollywood role
Bond News - 31-05-09

The home of the James Bond and Harry Potter films will tomorrow lay out plans to double in size and challenge Hollywood to host the next generation of blockbuster movies - reports The Times.

Pinewood Studios is submitting its final planning application for a 100-acre, £200m expansion that will have permanent film lots - including a row of New York brownstone apartments, a Parisian square and a Venice canal, so film-makers no longer have to fly abroad in search of locations.

Project Pinewood is also working with the National Film and Television School to set up an on-site academy that would train set designers and costume makers.

“Film-makers have the pick of going anywhere in the world,” said Ivan Dunleavy, chief executive of Pinewood Shepperton. “It is a very desirable industry from a profile point of view and from an economic point of view. We need to keep Britain ahead in terms of its creative skills and creative infrastructure.”

Built in 1934 by the construction tycoon Charles Boot, Pinewood later became part of the Rank Organisation until it was bought in 2000 by a consor-tium led by Dunleavy and ITV chairman Michael Grade. Dozens of well-known films have been shot there, including the Carry On series and Superman.

Pinewood, which has a market value of £70m, intends to take on a development partner for the project and would need to issue new debt or equity to finance it. It has a joint venture with Aviva Investors to develop the Shepperton Studios.

It has had to adapt its expansion after opposition from residents in neighbouring Bucking-hamshire villages during two years of planning. A lake designed to look like Italy’s Lake Como has been dropped after fears that it would disrupt local wildlife. A medieval castle has also been scrapped.

The company is proposing to incorporate up to 1,400 flats into the scheme, so people working on films can live on set. It forecasts this could create 1,600 jobs.

Pinewood is pitching its plans as an opportunity to form a “creative cluster”, adding toa media park that houses companies such as Technicolor, the postproduction giant.

Robberies in Fulmer

Heard of a couple of robberies in Fulmer last week. Seems to be a bit of a trend. Police notified.

The Roads are getting more dangerous

I am getting increasingly worried about the amount of traffic that is on the roads at the moment - and worse - the speeds at which they travel.

We all see the flowers that are being left in memory of victims of crazy drivers. When is the local authority going to do something. What impact will the Pinewood Studios proposed developent have?

South Bucks area fares badly compared with Government statistics, for road traffic
accidents. South Bucks population is 15% of the total Buckinghamshire population yet 27% of KSI (killed or seriously injured) are within South Bucks.

What is the Pinewood Studios Development

The Pinewood Building Project

The Corporate spin (they put up the PR guy - not the main man which is interesting).
Text from their website...

A significant number of Pinewood employees, clients, suppliers and tenants live in the area and contribute to Pinewood Studios’ worldwide reputation for excellence. To secure its long term future, Pinewood has to remain forward thinking, anticipating the challenges from international competition and the rapidly evolving demands of its clients. From its foundation, Pinewood Studios has contributed to, and participated in, many local events.

Some of our recent community-based contributions include:

* Contributions to Langley Park Restoration Project
* The Iver Heath Youth Project in partnership with Chalfont Community College
* The opening of the new link between Black Park and Pinewood Road, along the southern boundary of Pinewood Studios, in April 2008
* Sponsorship of Riding for the Disabled in Fulmer
* Payment of annual rental for headquarters of Iver Heath Drama Society
* Provision of lighting equipment to Iver Infant School

Does not seem a lot of community involvement when there is so much money to be made with the development. Development in the middle of the green belt. What would Sir John Betjeman think....

Tips on Deer Spotting

The BBC have given me tips for Deer watching the deer....

Watch out for tell-tale signs of the animals including tracks, damage to trees, eaten autumn fruits, and deer poo. Yep. Found that

Use your nose to detect the scent of deer and their droppings. Well, they actually sit there and stare at me.

Once you've located the deer's favourite habitats, be patient and watch quietly for the action to unfold. Patience not needed. They are there all the time.

The best time to watch the deer is just after dawn and at dusk when they are most active. Yep. Yep. Yep

Listen for the bellow of this herd's dominant stag during the rut. Whistling is also common.

Keep quiet and wear camouflage colours when watching the deer because they are easily disturbed. Not the ones we have.

Remember to keep a safe distance from the stag and his females!

Which deers are eating our plants?

I am trying to work out which deers are eating our plants. Any ideas?

There seem to be a few types of deer in the British Isles: My money is on the Roe and The Muntjac. Sweet though they may be, I really should stop buying plants for them!

Red Deer
The Red Deer is our largest deer is characterised by its large, ginger rump. The male stage has impressively large antlers which appear in spring. Mainly seen in Scotland, the Lake District, South West England and Ireland.

Fallow Deer
Fallow Deer are medium in size and distinguished by their dappled coats and white bums with a black stripe. Often seen in parks across the British Isles - except in northern Scotland.

The Roe Deer
The Roe Deer is a small-medium sized deer with an attractive reddish coat. The male has small antlers whilst the female has none. Mainly spotted in southern England and Scotland - unlikely to be seen in Wales and the Midlands.

The Sika Deer
The Sika Deer is small in size with a white powder puff rear. The male has narrow antlers with little branching. Grey-brown in colour, becoming redder in summer. Most common in woodland areas across England and Scotland.

The Muntjac
The Muntjac is the smallest British deer. with its reddish brown coat, this deer is barely the size of a large dog. The male has short antlers and tusk-like canines. Mostly seen in southern and central England.

Village News from The Black Horse

The Black Horse do a great website. Worth looking at.

Black Horse Pub

Pinewood Studios Building Too Many Houses

In response to the recent, very misleading article in the South Bucks Advertiser and the strength of concern expressed by many of our Fulmer residents, Ronnie Lamb has invited Pinewood Studios to bring forward their presentation to the village.

You may have received a leaflet from Pinewood which amongst other subjects mentions that they are having or have had an ecological survey, ground investigation and a topographical survey, all to be completed by mid-May. We hope to hear the outcome of these shortly.

Pinewood Studios Building in Green Belt

On Wednesday 21st May at 8pm in the Village Hall Ivan Dunleavy, PatrickGarner, David Wight and Andrew Smith from Pinewood Studios will give a presentation on their plans to build far too many houses opposite their current site housing up to 7,000 people!

Sending out a quarterly newsletter to sell the idea to the surrounding area is really not a plan. I assume the debt crisis has caused them to rethink.

They clearly have not considered the impact in many ways on Fulmer but particularly on traffic and property. Hopefully by May 21st they will have given due consideration to Fulmer and the impact on our community. They have committed to write about their plans in the Newsletter which will be out in early May giving everyone the opportunity to consider what they have written ahead of the meeting on May 29th.

Properties for sale in Fulmer

If you have a few million to spend have a look at the Knight Frank website. They are about 3-4 for sale in the village at the moment. This one is up near Black Park.
Fulmer Rise

History & Descriptions

Fulmer was described in 1806 in "Magna Britannia" as follows:

FULMERE, in the hundred of Stoke and the deanery of Burnham, lies about six miles south-east of Beaconsfield, and about four miles west of Uxbridge, in Middlesex. The manor was purchased by Sir John Molins, of William de Montacute, in or before the year 1335: at a later period it was in the Darells. The grand-children of Sir Marmaduke Darell, who died in 1631, having squandered away their patrimony, were obliged to sell this manor to their servants, of whom it was purchased by Judge Jefferys. It is now the property of the Duke of Portland, whose ancestor bought it of Mr. Dives, son-in-law of the judge, about the year 1706.

Fulmer Place, the seat of the Darells, has been long ago pulled down; its site is occupied by a modern villa, belonging to William Frogatt esq. attorney-at-law.

Fulmer was made a separate parish and rectory, in the reign of King Edward VI. being endowed with the great tithes by the dean and canons of Windsor, in whom the patronage is vested; it was before only a chapel of ease to Datchet. The present parish church was built in the year 1610, at the expence of Sir Marmaduke Darell. It contains nothing remarkable, excepting a handsome monument for the founder, who is represented in gilt armour; his lady, who lies on his right side, is in a black hood. Sir Marmaduke Darell is styled in his epitaph, servant to Queen Elizabeth in her wars by sea and land, and cofferer to King James and King Charles I.

Neighbourhood Watch in Fulmer

The village has a very active and effective Neighbourhood Watch scheme. Brian Weild is the scheme convener and Dee Knight is his deputy.

The scheme aims to cooperate with police and the local authority to prevent crime and protect individuals and property in the village, to be vigilant in respect of elderly and infirm residents, to make villagers aware of potential hazards through an early-warning system and to provide advice on property protection and marking.

Local Watch information is available to all Fulmer residents, on request, via email, and is also distributed through coordinators for each road or sub-area.

The scheme helps you protect yourself, your neighbours and your village, All Fulmer residents belong to it, unless they request not to receive the information and invitations to local Neighbourhood Watch events.

For further information, please contact
Brian Weild.

Background on Fulmer

Fulmer is often described as "the prettiest village in South Bucks" and, indeed, it has won the Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village competition many times. Nestling deep in the beautiful valley of the River Alderbourne, it is also one of the first truly separate villages outside the suburban sprawl of Greater London, with excellent road links into the capital and onto the national motorway network as well as fast access to a choice of rail and underground stations locally.

Protected within the Green Belt and with a Conservation Area at its heart, its charm and character should be preserved for generations to come. It is a magnet for those who appreciate rural calm and lovely country walks, alongside all the advantages of modern-day living.

Yet this tiny village with less than 500 residents is definitely "not just a pretty face". Underneath its peaceful façade of quaint cottages and desirable country residences, there is a vibrant community spirit and a deep, genuine, welcoming friendliness. In Fulmer, you know your neighbours and have ample opportunities to join in with village activities.

Fulmer Family Social Club embraces all Fulmer residents and organises several annual village events, including Fulmer Day on the last Saturday in June, the Bonfire Night fireworks celebrations and the Christmas Party.

Fulmer Night and other special events are organised by the Black Horse pub, which also offers good beer and an excellent restaurant.

Parties, sales, gatherings, meetings and performances take place at the Village Hall while the King George V recreation ground is the focus for sports including football, cricket, tennis and wheelchair tennis. The new Pavilion is also available for private bookings for meetings and parties and the Guide and Scout huts and the allotments are adjacent to it.

St James’ Church is a thriving Anglican parish church in the centre of the village and this also has an active programme of services and events to which all members of the community are very welcome.

Fulmer Infant School, in Alderbourne Lane, is very much at the heart of the community and joins enthusiastically in all village activities. It is a very popular Local Education Authority school for children aged 4-7, taught in three year groups, with about 55-60 children in the whole school.

Fulmer Art Fair

I believe today, 26th April, is the Fulmer Art Fair, held in the Village Hall.